June 12, 2017

2.Now that your debut year is over and your sophomore novel is out what have you learned from novel 1 to 2?

The process of publishing a first novel is write something you love, then throw it out into the world and see if it sticks somewhere. With book 2, there are already expectations: From readers, from your agent, from your publisher. It ended up feeling so backward to me, and I got very hung up on those expectations. The thing I have learned--and continue to learn--is how to keep a piece of the process and the novel that is for you, as a writer. Stay true to yourself, and try not to let the other voices drown yours out.

3. Outside of the romantic ship you've already created who would you pair Monty with outside your novel?

Dex from One Day by David Nicholls because they’re both self-loathing narcissist flirts who make bad choices and get up to no good, or Queenie from Code Name Verity, who has comparable levels of sass and spunk.

4. Do you feel you write more character based or story based novels?

Character based, for certain. Plotting is not something that comes easy to me.

5. What's in the books for your third novel?

I have two books coming out--a nonfiction book called Bygone Badass Broads, which is 52 short essays about women from history you might not know about but definitely should, and another historical novel called Semper Augustus which is coming out in 2019 and is set during the Dutch tulipomania in 1637.

6. If you could pick one song on repeat while writing what would you pick?Oh man. Depends on the book. For Gentleman’s Guide, it was definitely Chandelier by Sia.

May 03, 2017

I know this hiatus was not intended to last this long but its something that needed to happen.

I am back though and the fun can really begin. Follow me over on Instagram for day by day updates on the travel. Walt and I are doing our annual road trip and the main goal is Book Expo. This year I am a onsite correspondent for Armchair Book Expo.

It is day three on the road. I have finished one book and started an audio as well. The book I finished was Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor. My review will go live next Monday for it. The audio book Walt and I started is Armada by Ernest Cline. We are 2.5 hours into it and I love it. I mean I might be a little bias because I love Wil Wheaton.

So like I said check out my Instagram @Bookz4Nerdz for bookish photos as well as the many stops along this adventure. I`ll be using the #RoadToBookExpo on facebook, twitter and instagram as well.

TTFN,
Ashley

Left is this year in Kingman,AZ Right is 5yrs ago on our first road trip

February 15, 2017

The balance of good and evil has been left in the hands of a thirteen year old...

Since the beginning of time, Karmanic matter worked silently and unassisted keeping good and evil in balance, until growing greed in the world meant Karma couldn’t keep up. As World War I rages, the secret Karmanic Sovereign Legion works behind the scenes to help Karma.

A suspicious train accident and an odd stone-shaped object that belonged to his father thrust Cole McCarthy and two schoolmates into the middle of this battle to keep dark forces in check.

With only the powerful stone, a letter, and grandfatherly Norm to guide them, the trio must unravel clues and tap into unknown strengths to discover who Cole’s father really was and keep themselves and those they love safe.

This book in my opinion far surpassed the average quality of middle grade literature. While I reserve a number five rating for the best of the best, this book was so far up my alley that I couldn’t resist giving it at least a four point five. I also couldn’t help but be a little biased due to the creative science fiction the book as a whole represented. Clearly it can be seen that a lot more effort was put into developing the story for this book than most other middle-grade fiction. More than anything I look forward to reading the future book(s) of this series.

Cover:5/5

Not only do I feel this cover is absolutely spectacular eye candy but I am in love with it’s clever design. The font is very fitting to the early 1900’s era and is shadowed by the backdrop of dark stone. Dead center is the symbol described to be on the Blue Moon Narthex itself. So in a way the cover matches the story in an excellent manner.

Characters:4/5

Cole was the main character of the story. He fit the stereotypical “chosen one” character that is the lead in these sort of stories. Even while falling into this stereotype I still found him to be a very enjoyable character and if anything it made it easier to jump right into the story.

Sophie fit the standard intellectual female character role. Between her love of books and clever nature she was constantly helping the main trio (Including herself) in their adventure. In many ways she was my favorite character of the story.

Britten is the dumb but loveable friend. He often brings about comic relief to the story but in many ways was not completely necessary for the story to progress. Nevertheless he made an excellent support role considering the level of reading this book was targeting. I’m sure many middle-aged kids will enjoy the jokes and humor he brings to the story.

Plot:4.5/5

The Blue Moon Narthex had a very intriguing plot for a middle-grade novel. The plot was a little slow at first yet I feel it was necessary to set the tone for this book. Especially when you consider the fact this book declares to be the first of a series. I really enjoyed the book much more once it reached its second half. Between steam-punk styled tech and the ability to travel from one place to another in an instant this book definitely held strong science fiction themes. There was plenty of action spaced throughout the entire book which kept me glued to the pages and reading. My only complaint is that I felt the story was cut a little short. That all might make more sense upon reading future books of the series so I won’t count it against the scoring.

Quotes:

“These won’t be my best clothes after today.” - Cole

“I guess we were in the wrong place at the wrong time.” - Sophie

“A secret latch!” - Britten

ABOUT N.J. DONNER:

N.J. Donner is the author of the new Karmanic Sovereign Legion books. N.J. loves to explore. The world fascinates him and he wants to figure out why and how things work, including Karma.

College adventures took N.J. far from his small Nebraska hometown to the southern hemisphere and the inner city. This was the beginning of his wanderlust and today he loves to travel with his wife, Amanda, and their three children.

N.J. became the first person to graduate with a minor in international affairs from Nebraska Wesleyan University and spent the years right out of college building a successful steel company.

January 10, 2017

So to start things off I just wanted to say that this book signing was one of the most memorable experiences I’ve had the privilege of attending. It all started with a fun filled and Dutch Bros fueled car ride to the Menlo Park library. Along the way Ashley and I had a blast singing songs in the car and yelling curses at the suicidal maniacs on the road. One of the most interesting parts of the journey there related to questions Ashley had asked me from the book, The Sun Is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon. The questions led to deep and intriguing conversation on everything from a dinner with Abraham Lincoln to the more personal and difficult ones. I would guess I will not truly understand her questions until I read the book. Unlike our drive to Leigh Bardugo’s book signing we spent much of this ride laughing and discussing literature.

When we arrived in Menlo Park we made sure to stop by Kepler’s Books. Which was a very refreshing book store when compared to the generic Barnes and Noble standard. The entire place seemed more energetic and fun and if I could have stayed longer would have compelled me to fill my entire shelves with books. I must admit Ashley and I did indulge and make a few purchases while we were there. How bad can a reading addiction really be though? Next door we stopped by the lovely Cafe’ Baronne to grab a cool drink and relax for a bit. Cracking jokes and sipping on an Arnold Palmer can sometimes be the right amount of bliss after a car-ride.

About an hour before the book signing be made our way to the Menlo Park Library so we could wait in line. Upon entering the library we attempted to use the elevator. I am pretty sure I heard a loud clunk and after much waiting we decided to use the stairs. To our surprise there were only two other people waiting in line before us. Especially when you consider the fact this event was hosting a panel of five authors. Needless to say the line grew and eventually we sat in great anticipation of what can only be described as the most comedic banter I have heard outside of a comedy sketch group.

The fantastic panel of five authors were, Jay Kristoff and Aimie Kaufman co-authors of Gemina, Jessica Cluess author of A Shadow Bright and Burning. Kiersten White author of And I Darken and last but not least Arwen Elys Dayton author of Seeker. It felt almost instantaneous that the room filled with laughter and intrigue as Jay and Aimie started off by describing the sci-fi book they had written. Let me clarify that this was laughter joined by Jay and Aimie themselves. Ranging from discussions on the numerous deaths that occur within their books and researching astronauts having to wear diapers and condoms. Note that this was only more entertaining while they spoke to us in Australian accents. They also temporarily stole the show by having everyone play a game for a chance to win the honor of being killed in their next book. All I can say is it involved touching heads and butts.

Kiersten also made quite an entertaining show discussing how Vlad the impaler had influences her recent book. Just imagine Vlad being a young girl and impaling people. Jessica made an enjoyable effort and did hit the spotlight with her puns and lighthearted humor. Which as a debut author showed how much she really cared about what she had written. The main author that I felt was quite overshadowed by the whole event was Arwen. This isn’t to say that Arwen’s book didn’t sound enjoyable. She simply lacked the energetic personality and excitement that inspired the crowd to go forth and read her work. I would like to say that the fantasy world she had created in Scotland did sound enticing and perhaps I may read some of her books in the future.

All in all I left this event with a warm pleasant feeling. The authors certainly did their job and made me leave longing to give some of their books a read. I would like to give this event a 4.9/5, only due to the fact that when Ashley and I rode the elevator back up it seemed like we may die. Just kidding, this event is definitely deserving every bit of a 5/5. Hopefully in the near future I will be able to enjoy another trip similar to this one.

January 09, 2017

Overall Rating: 3/5 Stars
The concept behind this was amazing but I felt like it fell flat.I didnt really realize how it tied into A Thousand Nights but I guess it does. Overall I think the writing was amazing but the story itself just wasn`t for me. I gave it three stars because I did enjoy the characters and their growth.